BETTER SUPPORT CRUCIAL
Statistics show that 70 per cent of adults will likely experience the sudden traumatic loss of a loved one in their lifetime and 20 per cent of these persons will likely be affected by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the incident.
Pointing out the above yesterday, Donna Watson-Elliott, Manager of the Ottawa Police Victim Crisis Unit, stressed that direct victims are not the only ones touched by traumatic occurrences as witnesses, bystanders, relatives and others may be left to deal with the outcome of a traumatic incident as well. This can be true for a homicide, as much as it is for a fatal car accident.
Watson-Elliott therefore emphasised the need for enhancing support to victims, which would be the focus of the two-day IMPACT Justice “Enhancing Support To Victims of Crime” training course, which got started at the Accra Beach Hotel yesterday.
Earlier, Dr. Gail Miller, Senior Director of the Caribbean Regional Programme of the Government of Canada, acknowledged that it was recognised that breaking the news to families that a loved one has passed away in a traumatic or violent circumstance is difficult, and following a workshop held in Barbados last year to assist police officers in this area, there was an additional request for training to enhance the support given to victims, beyond the death notification process.
Prof. Velma Newton, Regional Project Director of IMPACT Justice, noted that the Ottawa Police Service was the first to respond positively to such a request for assistance in organising the IMPACT Justice training conference, to deliver that enhanced victim support training. Police officers of varying ranks, along with gender specialists, counsellors, community development officers, social workers and others who work with victims of crime in Barbados and across the region, were in attendance at opening of the conference.
They heard from Donna Watson-Elliott of the need for those who will assist victims in the aftermath of any traumatic incident, to genuinely care about the persons whose lives have been so abruptly disrupted and to work to meet them where they are at.
“The person with the greater need must be aware that the person (offering support) generally cares. So we have the important task of working with victims and proving to them that we really do care,” she stressed.
Watson-Elliott later told The Barbados Advocate that whilst persons gathered for the workshop were from different jurisdictions, they would get the chance to apply the information given, to see what partnerships or initiatives they can start back home, to deliver the best support to victims, who will likely come under their care. (RSM)